The Biblical Museum of Natural History, currently located in Hartuv at the entrance to

Beit Shemesh Beit Shemesh ( he, בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ ) is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in . History Tel Beit Shemesh The small archaeological tell northeast of the modern city wa ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, was founded in 2014 by Rabbi Dr.

Natan Slifkin Natan Slifkin (also Nosson Slifkin) ( he, נתן סליפקין; born 25 June 1975 in Manchester, England), popularly known as the "Zoo Rabbi," is a British-born Israeli Modern Orthodox community rabbi and the director of the Biblical Museum of N ...

, affectionately referred to as the "Zoo Rabbi."

Vision and purpose

The establishment describe itself as "part natural history museum, part zoo" and is meant to "enhance the appreciation and understanding of biblical scripture and Jewish tradition via the natural world." Visitors are able to gain insight into the animals that lived in Israel during biblical times even if they no longer exist there now, such as bears and crocodiles. Visitors to the museum are currently directed by special tour by appointment only. Features include live animal, taxidermy and skeleton exhibits, as well as audio/visual presentations. Tour topics include unraveling incidents of misidentification of animals by biblical scholars of species mentioned in both the

Five Books of Moses The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

and the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

due to their lack of familiarity with different families that are not represented in places like Europe, where much of the Jewish medieval biblical commentary was written.

History

In 2017 the Museum held a "Feast of Exotic Curiosities," at which foods including

locusts Locusts (derived from the Vulgar Latin ''locusta'', meaning grasshopper) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumst ...

guineafowl Guineafowl (; sometimes called "pet speckled hens" or "original fowl") are birds of the family Numididae in the order Galliformes. They are endemic to Africa and rank among the oldest of the gallinaceous birds. Phylogenetically, they branched o ...

, and

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called the domestic water buffalo or Asian water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also found in Europe, Australia, North America, So ...

, that are described as

kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

in the Bible but rarely served, were prepared by chef Moshe Basson of

The Eucalyptus The Eucalyptus ( he, האקליפטוס) is a Jerusalem fine dining restaurant. It is noted for its use of biblical ingredients and the use of wild plants and roots foraged from the nearby hillsides, and for preparing traditional and innovative Lev ...

, a restaurateur known for his contemporary preparations of biblical foods. In 2020 the Museum moved from its old premises in the

Bet Shemesh Beit Shemesh ( he, בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ ) is a city located approximately west of Jerusalem in Israel's Jerusalem District, with a population of in . History Tel Beit Shemesh The small archaeological tell northeast of the modern city wa ...

industrial zone to a new facility on Route 38, opposite the entrance to Bet Shemesh. During the summer of 2021, the Museum's male and female

burmese pythons The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...

successfully bred and gave birth to 38 eggs. The Museum hosted a '

kiddush Kiddush (; he, קידוש ), literally, "sanctification", is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Additionally, the word refers to a small repast held on Shabbat or festival mornings after t ...

' in their honour.

Related Works

Slifkin has authored the first volume of what will be a large collection of information related to the interplay of Judaism and zoology entitled ''The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom''. The encyclopedia will attempt to cover all animals mentioned in the Jewish scripture and highlight little known historical facts such as population diversity and habitation during biblical times.''JewishStandard.com'
Where the Wild Things Are
July 30, 2015

Gallery

File:BMNH Wild Animals.jpg File:BMNH Museum.jpg File:BMNH Serpentarium.jpg File:BMNH Barn.jpg File:BMNH Wonders.jpg File:BMNH Classification.jpg File:BMNH Chameleon.jpg File:BMNH Small Animals.jpg File:BMNH Small Animals 2.jpg

References

External links

Official website

Zoo Torah: The Biblical Museum
{{authority control Science museums in Israel Zoos in Israel Museums established in 2014 Natural history museums Bible-themed museums, zoos, and botanical gardens 2014 establishments in Israel Beit Shemesh Buildings and structures in Jerusalem District Tourist attractions in Jerusalem District